Zoning Out
by MidnightMemory2939
Summary: Since Amity Park's ghost activity had been rising, Maddie and Jack have agreed to take Mr. Lancer's class on a "field trip" to the Ghost Zone to teach the class some self defense. What a shame Murphy's Law doesn't go any easier on halfas. After all, one can only hide a secret for so long... DxS is at canon level, rated T for occasional language, and most importantly, NO PP!
1. Announcement

Danny groaned silently. Mr. Lancer had been rambling on about historical romance novels for what, an hour now?! The clock ticked on. _ 3:15, great. I'm almost out of here._ "Fenton!" Mr. Lancer slammed his book on the table. "Adventures of Tom Sawyer! Daniel Fenton, were you even listening to me?! I asked a question, and I expect you to answer it! For the fourth time, how did Romeo &amp; Juliet end? Or did you not read it?" "U-umm..." Danny stuttered. "Romeo commits suicide than Juliet does it too?" The boy had bNarrowing his green eyes, the teacher gave Danny what is known to teenagers as the 'this-is-your-last-chance-and-if-you-screw-up-again-I-will-ruin-your-life stare', more commonly known as the 'death stare'. "Aside from that, I would like to announce, on behalf of Principal Ishiyama, that we are having a field trip tomorrow." There were a few scattered murmurs at this, but Mr. Lancer gave them the look, and they immediately stopped. "As I was saying, Amity Park has had a lot of ghost invasions recently," Mr. Lancer started out. Danny cringed. He didn't like where this was going. "Maddie and Jack Fenton have generously agreed to show the class the Ghost Zone, as well as basic ghost combat techniques." As Mr. Lancer finished, the bell rang. "You are expected to be on your best behavior!" Mr. Lancer called out as the class burst out of the classroom, joyous that it was all over for that day.

"Sam, you don't understand! What if-" "Danny, calm down. You'll be fine." Sam placed her hand on the halfa's shoulder. "No, it's not fine! What if the ghosts attack and I have to go ghost? What if Skulker or some other ghost comes and refers to me as Phantom or halfa or ghost child then the whole class starts asking and-" "Danny, chill out!" Tucker interrupted. Danny took a deep breath. "I'm sorry guys, I'm just really worried about tomorrow." The raven-haired boy sighed. "It'll be fine, just, you know..lay low, I guess." Tucker gave Danny a supportive pat on the back.  
But the young halfa still couldn't shake off the feeling that _something_ would go terribly wrong tomorrow. It was that feeling where you would try to tell yourself you were just overreacting, and everyone would tell you that too, but deep down inside you can't help but be nervous. "Well Danny, I've gotta go home now, my parents are expecting me." Sam said. "Yeah, mine too. Cya tomorrow, Danny." Tucker waved.

* * *

"Oh come on Danny, why aren't you excited? Just think about it! The Ghost Zone! Your father and I have only taken a peek, but it seems amazing! Everyone else can't wait!" Maddie explained. She was excited for the trip tomorrow, and Danny's entire class was too. What was it with him? The ghost huntress sighed a bit on the inside. For the past year or so, he'd been acting so..._different_. His grades were slipping, he almost always came home with unexplainable bruises and scratches that not even a bully would go so far as to cause. Every morning, he was exhausted, and he would shudder at the mention of ghost hunting. Pushing those thoughts aside, she placed her hand on her son's shoulder.  
But his skin was so... cold. It wasn't particularly cold today, nor was it windy. And Danny was usually pretty warm. "Danny, you're freezing. Are you alright?" He was practically glaring daggers at her for a moment. "I'm fine, mom." He brushed her hand off, annoyed. I watched my son go back upstairs to his room, and I noticed a scar running across his arm. "Danny, wait!" She ran up to him. "Danny, what's this scar on your arm from?" The boy's eyes widened at the mention of this. "Oh, um, it's nothing..." "Danny, that is a scar. Not a cut, not a scrape, a _scar_. Where did it come from?" She asked again. He was dodging the question, just like he always did these days. "Look, if there's a bullying issue going on at school, you need to tell us. This is not acceptable. Nobody, I repeat, _nobody_ has the right to hurt you like this." Her son rolled his eyes, muttering something she couldn't make out under his breath. "Mom, I said it's nothing." His voice had a tone of authority, one of which she'd never heard him use before. "It's not nothing. Just tell me where it came from." He sighed. "I... scraped my arm during gym class when I fell on the concrete?" It sounded more like a question. Maddie merely raised an eyebrow. She knew he was lying. "Or, you know, you could just tell me the truth." "Or, for a change, you could just _leave me alone_!" Danny's radioactive green eyes seemed to glow momentarily. Wait, what? Danny's eyes were a soft baby blue, not ectoplasmic green! She blinked, and it was normal. _Some trick of the light..._ But part of her felt as if it was merely the beginning of an issue much larger. Danny noticed her staring, and turned around, retreating back into his room.  
She wanted to talk to him, but he... he'd been acting so distant for the past year. When he was little, they would share everything, and they were so close. But he had been drifting away, and every time she mentioned it to him, he'd just walk away, aggravated. His icy blue eyes, once filled with innocence, joy, and happiness, now showed skepticism, distrust, and a hint of maturity in them that was quite unusual for his age.

And it wasn't just how he treated the family. He'd been acting different all around. His A- to B+ average had plummeted to the point where a B or B- was legendary. He was almost never home before curfew, and when he came in, he was exhausted, and although he tried to hide it, she could see bruises and cuts. But every time she questioned him, he ignored her, going back upstairs to his room. She was genuinely concerned about his condition, but she knew that if she tried to talk to him, she'd most likely just make it worse. It hurt her to see her only son, once full of optimism, so gloomy and spaced out. Maybe, just maybe, the field trip tomorrow would change that.


	2. Lion's Den

**Wow, 5 reviews, 9 favorites, and 21 follows already? Well, if you like it ****_that_**** much, I'm gonna try to update more frequently. I'd like to thank the reviewers as well. Serulium, Lovesbugsalot, SmokeyWolf13, and Tsukiyomi Sora. (I also had a guest reviewer, and I would like to thank them too.) Oh, and I forgot to put this in the last chapter.  
DISCLAIMER: Danny Phantom is owned by Butch Hartman, not me. If I owned it, Phantom Planet would be nonexistent, and the show would still be running right now.**

* * *

_Danny was flying in the clear skies of Amity Park. There had been no ghost problems at all today, and for once, he had no homework. What better way to spend a bit of free time? It all felt amazing, the birds singing, the warm sun, and the roaring whisper of wind echoing in his ears. The breeze occasionally sent a chill through his thin HAZMAT suit, but it didn't bother him. In fact, ever since the incident with Undergrowth, he welcomed the cold, and it welcomed him. He could see Sam and Tucker below him. Oh shoot, Sam! He'd said that he'd take her to fly with him. He swooped back down. Sam opened her mouth, but said nothing. She started...beeping? __**Beep, beep, beep! Beep, beep, beep!**_

* * *

_The halfa jolted awake. The alarm _clock had made its way into his dreams. "Gah!" He slammed his hand on the snooze button, only to miss, hitting the bedside table. "And we're off to a great start, aren't we?" Danny muttered sarcastically to himself. He'd gotten more sleep than usual last night, since the ghosts hadn't attacked. Which, frankly, made him all the more nervous for today's events. Not even the box ghost had come out. The uncertainty of the entire situation churned in his stomach.

After getting dressed, he walked downstairs to find his parents obsessing over some gadget they'd made. "Danny-boy! You're awake! Look, we made a Fenton Temportal! It's like the bazooka, but," Jack leaned over, whispering in his son's ear. "It's big enough for people to go through. And fudge!" Jack smiled while he said fudge. "Honey, this is how we're going to the Ghost Zone for the field trip." Maddie explained. "Now hurry up and eat your breakfast, you wouldn't wanna be late on a day like this!" She ruffled his hair, receiving an agitated look.

* * *

After all the commotion at home, the halfa was eager to leave, even if it meant school. Whenever Jack and Maddie fought, even though it was usually over ridiculous things, it still wasn't very pretty. He stopped right where he was, as a cold chill traveled through the back of his neck, escaping through his mouth. One thought ran through his mind. _Ghost._ He ducked into an alley, and reached deep inside of himself for his ghost core, drawing it out with a flash of light. He felt the familiar transition as the rings flooded over him, as his raven-black hair became whiter than snow, and his baby blue eyes shifted to a radioactive green. His shirt and jeans were gone, and in their place was the black and white HAZMAT suit he'd come to love. For no longer was there Danny Fenton, but Phantom. Danny Phantom. Wasting no time, he thrust his booksack onto the cement, and flew up, only to be met by Skulker.

"Foolish ghost child, I will have your pelt hung on my wall!" Skulker said, almost as if he were hissing. "What color is your wall, anyways? I don't think I'd match." Phantom smirked. "Any pelt looks nice on the wall of the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter." Skulker shot back. "And by greatest, you mean only, right?" Phantom formed a ball of ectoplasmic energy in his gloved hands, and shot it at the ghost. Skulker dodged, and shot a net at him. The halfa dodged, but just barely. "I hope your suit's strong against the weather, because today's forecast is chilly." Phantom concentrated, and ice caked over the so-called hunter's weapon. "What a shame that this technology's heated up." Skulker retorted, smashing the ice with a ray from his shoulder.

Phantom, meanwhile, had snuck behind Skulker, who was wondering where his prey had gone. "Boo." As Skulker turned around, he was met with a roundhouse kick. "Nice seeing you." Phantom pulled out his thermos, sucking Skulker into it. He raced back to the ground, and drew out his human core, letting the rings wash over him once more, as his green eyes melted into light blue, his hair darkened to its natural pitch-black, and the HAZMAT suit became his T-shirt and jeans. As he realized he was about to be late, he made a mad dash to the schoolyard. _7:59. Just barely._ As he walked in, the bell rang. Time for class. Or rather, the field trip that most likely involved pure chaos.

* * *

"Alright, does everyone understand how this works?" The woman in the teal suit asked the students, adjusting her goggles. "When Jack here opens up the Fenton Temportal, you'll all go in, one by one, single file. Jack will be the last one in, and he'll close the portal on the way out. Got that?" She was returned with the nod people gave when they weren't really listening. The class was still whispering among themselves. "I hope I get to meet the ghost boy. We'll fall in love, then he'll ask me out!" Paulina was obsessing over Phantom, as usual. Sam almost snorted. "Yeah, and I'm Beyonce." She replied, her voice dripping wet with sarcasm.

Danny and Tucker attempted (and failed miserably) to hold back a laugh. Dash just leaned over towards Danny. "Hey Fentoad, the second they're not watching you, you're paying for the D- on my science essay." The jock whispered in his ear. "Okay everyone, we're loading up the Fenton Temportal now!" Maddie announced, her voice quickly putting out the flickering arguments and discussions among the students. "BANZAIII!" Jack yelled, firing the portal at the wall. The students went in, some eagerly, some having to be pushed in. Mr. Lancer stepped inside as well, Maddie followed, and as Jack stepped in, he closed the portal from in the Ghost Zone. As the portal closed behind the orange-suited ghost hunter, a ghost dropped its invisibility, and whispered into its headset. "Sir, Phase One is complete. Execute Phase Two."


	3. Geometry

**Since a lot of you guys kept mentioning it in the reviews, I've decided to try harder to clean up the paragraphs. I'd like to thank the reviewers for chapter 2: Lovebugsalot, Angelicat2, Mistress Soul, TheBoss3254, and arieasciolla. Thanks for your support! As for the question about them not using a vehicle, I'm going to have there be paths along the emptiness of the Ghost Zone. Kind of like Raven's mind in Nevermore. [Also, I'm using first person POV from here on out]**  
**Disclaimer: Do I look like Butch Hartman to you?!**

* * *

**Danny's POV**

* * *

My eyes adjusted quickly to the green and purple swirls of the Ghost Zone. Sam, Tucker, and I had been in here countless times. Not that anyone needed to know that. Most people say they have butterflies in their stomach. Well, mine was full of goliath beetles.

"Alright kids, listen up! We are now in the Ghost Zone. In the Ghost Zone, we've got some ground rules that you will not break under any circumstances. First, and most importantly, stay on the path! If you fall off, nothing can save you from the most likely bottomless vortex of this dimension. No one is to speak to any ghosts, and if a ghost is sighted, stand back and let me and Jack handle it." My mom went on and on about rules of the Ghost Zone. Honestly, I tuned it out. I didn't need an explanation of a place I knew like the back of my hand. Heck, I had my map stashed away in my backpack in case of an emergency. I guess it was pretty obvious that I wasn't listening to a word my parents said, because soon enough, I felt Mr. Lancer's firm hand on my shoulder.

"Mr. Fenton! Have you no respect for the lesson?" I could hear Dash and Paulina snickering as my teacher scolded me. I gave my teacher an answer. No, it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either.

"No sir, you see, since I live with them and all, I already know the rules of the Ghost Zone." I barely managed to not stutter. I could almost feel the stares of my classmates, and Tucker was snickering lightly. Mr. Lancer raised an eyebrow. I could tell he didn't believe me - well not entirely, anyways, but he let my dad continue the 'speech'.

"Maddie's brought a few ecto-weapons, and we can pass them around later!" Dad went on, but that marked the end of the speech. "Any questions?" He asked. A single hand shot up. "Yes?"

"Will we see the ghost boy on our trip?" Paulina asked sweetly. Figures it was Paulina.

"If we see that ectoplasmic scum, we'll tear him apart molecule by molecule!" Mom butted in. Valerie was grinning slightly to herself, Sam smirked, and Paulina looked as if she'd broken a nail. Which, in Paulinalandia, was about as bad as getting hit by a bus. I wanted to intervene, but I kept my mouth shut. "And if no one else has any questions, we'll be making our way along the path!" Maddie finished.

Sam, Tucker, and I followed my parents, as did the rest of our class. After five or so minutes, I stopped in my tracks. "Did you hear that?" I asked. I was met with murmurs of 'no' and 'hear what?'. Sometimes, the added benefit of enhanced senses was a bit annoying when everyone though you were hearing things. But I wasn't. "Two words: Ectoplasmic blasts." I whispered to Sam and Tucker.

"How far away?" Tucker asked, his turquoise eyes flecked with concern. Even though Tucker was usually happy-go-lucky, when it came to this kind of thing, all three of us got a bit rattled up.

"Well, I'd say about-" I was cut off by Dash.

"Hey, Fen-toenail! Stop whispering and get over here!" It was a whisper shout, a shout quiet enough so only I could hear it. They'd be hearing something else, too, soon enough. I felt the familiar cold in my lungs. The shiver traveled up my back, and escaped with a gasp and a wisp of icy mist. Ghost. Dash noticed. "You cold, Fentina? 'Cause I wanna be the one sending shivers up your spine." Dash grabbed me by my shirt, growling.

"Adventures of Tom Sawyer! Baxter, Manson, Fenton, and Foley!" Stop lagging behind and get over here!" Mr. Lancer yelled. Angrily, Dash put me down, and all four us us ran to the group. But there was still a ghost nearby, I could feel it...but who?

"Beware!" An all-too-familiar voice erupted from nowhere.

"Oh, great." I rolled my eyes. Instinctively, I grabbed my thermos from my backpack.

"I am the Box Ghost, and you will feel my furious cardboard DOOM!" He went on about how he would take over the world with boxes. I'd heard this speech countless times.

"Yeah right, _Boxy_. Just get in the thermos and spare us from the lecture!" I snuck a punch in, then sucked him into the thermos. That was when I remembered everyone was watching me.

"Danny, where did you learn to fight ghosts? Neither me or your father taught you how to use the thermos." My mom rushed to my side.

"Oh, uhhh..." _Crap, think of a lie, think of a lie!_ "Well, you see, Jazz got all over me about how I wouldn't be prepared for a ghost attack, so I learned how to use the thermos, in case of emergency?" My dad leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"We're having a talk about this later, just so you know." His voice was stern, which was pretty rare for him. I could still see some of the other students looking at me funny.

"Oh come on, it was just the box ghost..." I muttered. Tucker and Sam rushed over to me.

"Look, Danny, I know it was just the box ghost, but you've gotta try to be careful." Sam warned.

"Yeah yeah, it won't happen again..." I trailed off, as I shoved the thermos back into my bag.

"Everyone, first location! Stay wary, a ghost could pop out at any time!" My mother called. I turned around. _Please don't let it be too bad, please don't let it be too bad!_ I turned around, and saw Skulker's island. How lovely.

"Well, this can't get an worse." I tell Sam and Tucker.

"Hey, Dann-o, we're gonna explore the island!" My dad called.

"I stand corrected."


End file.
